Young Love
by Dolphinmaniac101
Summary: This is not your typical Hunger Games AU romance. Peeta and Katniss are in love...then something happens. Read to find out the tale of two of the most beloved characters of The Hunger Games. Disclaimer:I do not own The Hunger Games or any of the characters Suzanne Collins so geniusly created:) WARNING: Quite a bit of fluff in this story. You now have been warned.
1. Monday Mornings

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games or any of the characters that Suzanne Collins so geniusly created. :)**

**Katniss POV**

Peeta and I walk hand in hand into school on Monday morning. We have been dating for a year and a half now, and I love it. I feel like a completely different person when I'm with him. Our relationship works perfectly.  
One of our friends, Delly Cartwright, squeals when she sees us and gives me and Peeta big hugs. "Hey guys! How's it going? How was your weekend? Mine was great!" Now, I like Delly and all, but sometimes she's a bit too...perky for my taste.  
Peeta speaks now. "It was fine, Delly. I'm glad to see you're in such a good mood."  
"Oh I am! I got an A in gym! You know how hard Mr. Abernathy grades. He's almost impossible to please!"  
"Yeah we know. Well, congratulations, Delly, but Katniss and I have to go. See you later."  
"Bye Peeta! Bye Katniss!" Delly calls after us, and Peeta just grins.  
"What are you smiling about?" I ask him, and playfully punch Peeta on the arm.  
"I'm just thinking about how happy Delly can be. She's almost never in a bad mood."  
"Yeah," I agree. "I'm not even sure if it's possible to be as happy as she is, especially when she's happy about a gym grade."

XXX

Soon after our encounter with Delly, we get to my first period class, which unfortunately Peeta isn't in. He stops at the door. "Bye Katniss," Peeta says, and he gives me a quick kiss on the cheek.  
"Bye Peeta. See you in third period!"  
"Bye," he waves, and then went to go walk to his class.  
I go into my own class, which is Panem History. There are three reasons I don't like this class. One and two are the lessons and the teacher are boring, and reason number three is because before class starts, the majority of the guys hit on me, despite the fact that I have a boyfriend. Peeta doesn't know about reason number three.

XXX

Thankfully, first and second period go by quickly. Third period is chemistry, and when I get there, Peeta is already at our table. I give him a kiss on the cheek and then sit down.  
"Hey Peeta. How were your first two classes?"  
"They were fine. How were yours, Katniss?"  
"Fine, but they went by really quickly, and I don't know why. In history we studied about the rebellion, and then in math we took a quiz."  
"Maybe you were having fun." Peeta teases me, and pokes me in the arm.  
"I was-" I was protesting, but before I could say anything else, our teacher Beetee (no one calls him by his last name) walked in, and the class became silent.  
"All right, class. Today we are going to learn about..." and before I knew it, third period is over, and fourth period has begun, which is lunch.

XXX

We go to the cafeteria and get in line for food. Our school's food is better than most cafeteria food, because we have Greasy Sae as the cook. Today Greasy Sae made lamb stew, but if I'm not mistaken, I believe I found bits of venison in mine. That's one of the things I like about Greasy Sae's food. She adds things to make her food more...interesting.  
"Hey Peeta, do you think-" and again I didn't finish, because Annie, Finnick, Clove, Cato, and Johanna sat down at our table.  
"Did you guys know that there's venison in the stew?." Johanna says as she sits down.  
"Hi Johanna," I force a smile. I'm not very, um, fond of her, to say the least.  
"Hi Katniss. Mind if I sit here?"  
"Well, actually,-" I begin, but Peeta interrupts me. I'm starting to sense a pattern here...  
"That's fine, Johanna."  
"Great! Man, history was awful today! It was so boring I fell asleep!"  
"Wow. Was it really that bad?" Peeta asks with an amused look on his face.  
"Yes, it was. We had a substitute to make it even worse." Johanna replies.  
"Who was the substitute?" Clove asks.  
"Principal Snow. From what I heard from Gale, Snow started to doze off a little bit towards the end. But maybe he was just tired, since he's such an expert on the rebellion." She said with a bit of sarcasm in her voice.  
I hear Peeta chuckle and he wraps an arm around my shoulders. "Ahh, yes, good old Snow. I look forward to hearing him teach about his favorite time period in Panem history."  
"I hear that once he starts talking about it, he just keeps talking and won't stop." Cato puts in, and then Johanna said,  
"He isn't wrong, you know."  
"Yeah, we know." I say, and lay my head on Peeta's shoulders. Annie and Finnick are engrossed in their own conversation, and what it is about, I will never know. Well, it doesn't matter since we have to get up to go to our next class anyway.  
"So Katniss, after school do you want to hang out?" Peeta asks.  
"Yeah, sure! I need to get back home at six, though, so I can make dinner for me and Prim. Mom won't get back home until later tonight."  
"Could I come with you?"  
"I don't see why not. I stink at cooking. Unless I'm making soup, which I am growing tired of very quickly."  
"Allow me to be of assistance," Peeta then gets up and bows like the gentleman he is.  
I smile and say, "okay."


	2. Gale

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games or the characters Suzanne Collins so geniusly created. :)**

**Peeta POV**

After school, I went and hung out with Katniss. We went to a movie, and it was really good. I really do enjoy spending time with Katniss. I've liked her for a long time, and we started going out last year.

We go get a smoothie, and I get up to go to the bathroom. When I get back I find Katniss and Gale making out. I just stare for a couple seconds before Katniss pulls back from the kiss with disgust. "Eww, Gale, why-," and then she sees me, and her eyes bulge out of her head. "Oh my gosh! Peeta, I am so sorry. This," she points to Gale, "wasn't my fault."

"It's true, Peeta. I kissed her. If you're going to be mad, be mad at me." Gale explains, and hangs his head in what looks like shame and humiliation.

"Just stay away from Katniss, okay?" We walk out of the smoothie place, and I look back at Gale warily. I never did trust him, and now I know why.

As we were walking, I start to talk to Katniss. "Katniss?"

"Yes, Peeta?" She asks, and looks up at me.

"Was...was that the first time you and Gale kissed?"

"Um, well...no. I really wish it was, though." She says, and looks down guiltily.

"What do you mean? Let me rephrase the question. Was that the first time you and Gale kissed while we were dating?"

A guilty look comes across her face, "no." Anger comes upon me. Has Katniss been cheating on me? I take in a deep breath, and I start to speak, fighting to keep a steady voice.

"Katniss, I need to know something. Have you been cheating on me with him?"

"No! I love you Peeta! Gale and I are only friends! Why would I cheat on you when I have the best boyfriend in the world?"

"I don't know, but when you kissed, did you kiss him back?"

"No. Peeta, I would never kiss him. I don't feel that way about him, and I never will. Peeta...do you believe me?" Suddenly all the anger vanishes. I know when Katniss is lying, because she is a horrible liar. She is telling the truth.

"Yes, I do. Do you still want me to come home with you?"

"Yeah...if you don't mind I would like that."

"Very well, then," and I kiss her forehead. I offer her my hand, she accepts, and we walk towards her house.

XXX

We get to Katniss's house, and though it's not very big, it's still comfortable and cozy. Her white house stood out from the rest in her neighborhood, considering the others were red and were made of bricks, while hers was made of siding. There were a few bricks in the front, and I think it's kind of cute.

"Thanks for coming, Peeta. I really appreciate the help." Katniss says, and looks at me gratefully.

"You're welcome. Anything to help you," and I tap her nose. She smiles and I smile back.

"Have I told you you're the best boyfriend ever?" Katniss asks and gives me a quick peck on the lips.

"I've heard that once or twice. I'll never get tired of hearing it, though." She smiles up at me and lightly punches me on the arm. I smile back, and give her hand a slight squeeze. We get up to her front door, and Katniss is about to open it when I say something that I've known for a year and a half. "I love you, Katniss."

She looks at me, sort of startled and surprised, but then she smiles. "I love you too, Peeta."

"Well, that's good, considering we've been dating for almost two years now." I say, and kiss her forehead.

"Yeah, it is. Love you Peeta."  
"Love you too Katniss," and then we go into her house to start cooking supper for her and Prim.


	3. Remember When We Were 12?

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games or any of the characters that Suzanne Collins so geniusly created. :)**

**Katniss POV**

Well, today ended perfectly. Peeta was here at my house until he had to go home. He's so sweet and understanding. I can't see myself with anyone else but him.

I lay down to go to sleep, and I dream of me, Prim, and Peeta. I wake up to the sound of my alarm clock, and I get myself out of bed. I take a quick shower and brush my teeth. Then I go to my closet to figure out what to wear today. I decide on my favorite forest green dress, which goes to slightly below the knee. I pair it with a white jean jacket, and put a pin on it, which has a mockingjay in the center. Then I pull on my brown almost-knee length boots, and braid my hair down my back. Finally pleased with my apparel, I go out of my room and pick up books, and grab an apple to eat on the way.

I usually walk to school, but when I walk out the door I'm surprised to see Peeta in my driveway with his car. I really do have the sweetest boyfriend ever.

I walk to his car and he looks at me and smiles. "Hey Katniss. Do you want a ride to school?"

"Yeah, I'd love to have a ride. Can Prim come too? It's kind of a long walk to her school."

"Yeah, she can come. Why don't you go get her before we're late?"

"Okay, be right back," and I kiss him on the cheek. I go inside the house and find Prim eating a granola bar.

"Prim, do you want Peeta to give you a ride to school?"

"Yeah! I can finish eating in the car. Let's go, Katniss!" Prim grabs her backpack, and runs out the door, while I walk calmly behind her. I love Prim. She's so enthusiastic about things I normally wouldn't be. Take, for example, school. She loves people, she has a lot of friends, and her teachers all love her. Now for me, it's a different story. I don't like people, I only have a couple friends, and I only have one teacher that likes me.

Prim hops in the back seat of Peeta's car, which leaves me with shotgun. I get in with a smile on my face. As far as my life goes, how could it get any better?

It's about a ten minute ride to Prim's school, and it goes by pretty quickly, mainly because of Prim's constant chatter in the backseat. She talked about things such as her friends, her project for science, and what disgusting food they served for lunch the past day. After what seemed like a minute, we arrive at the middle school, and Prim waves good-bye to me and Peeta. She's then joined by Rue, and they run into school together.

"Middle schoolers are so cute. Don't you think, Peeta?"

"Yeah. Remember when we used to be twelve years old?"

"Hmm...vaguely. The past 16 years have sort of blended together. But this one by far has been my favorite."

"Oh, and why is that, Katniss?" Peeta asks me, but I can tell by the look on his face that he already knows the answer.

"It's because of you. You make my life so much happier. That's why I agreed to go out with you in the first place." I smile at him, and Peeta smiles back. "We should probably get going. We're going to be late if we don't."

"Yeah...but there's something I want to do first," and Peeta starts to lean in for a kiss.

"Um...Peeta?"

"Yeah?" Peeta opens his eyes and looks at me expectantly.

"I don't think we should do that here...we're in a middle school parking lot."

Peeta sighs and starts the car. "Okay, as you wish. But when we get to school...that'd be okay, right?" He gives me a hopeful smile, which I think is the cutest thing in the world besides Prim.

I smile back at him, "yeah, that'd be okay. Just not too much PDA, okay?"

"Okay, Katniss."

We arrive at school, and Peeta finds a parking spot. We both lean in, and we share a kind of long lingering kiss. I pull away first. "Peeta, we should go inside. I really don't want to be late. I have a Panem History test that's worth 40 percent of my grade. I need to go."

"Well, when you put it that way...okay," and we go into school holding hands to start another day. Look out, world. I'm ready to ace this test.


	4. A Romantic Lunch With Peeta

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games or any of the characters that Suzanne Collins so geniusly created. :)**

**Katniss POV**

I walk into Panem History, and as usual there are guys hitting on me as soon as I walk in the door. This goes to show that they have no life.

I sit down in my seat and wait for the bell to ring to signify the start of school. I pull out a book to read, and about ten minutes later school is starting.

The test was a lot harder than I expected, but I finally finished in a decent amount of time. I think I did a pretty good job, if I do say so myself.

I'm waiting for the class period to end, and it does eventually. Now it's off to Algebra 2.

Algebra comes and goes like always. I get to chemistry, and there's a kid in Peeta's seat...and in mine. There's a girl in Peeta's seat...I think her name is Glimmer? Who in their right mind would name their kid Glimmer?

"Hey...you're in my seat. Will you move, please?" I say with as much politeness I can muster.

Glimmer rolls her eyes and gets up. "Fine, whatever," but she gives me a look that says it _isn't_ fine and that there would be more wrath coming. The kid sitting next to her gets up from my seat and I'm about to sit down, when Peeta comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist. "Hey, Katniss."

I look over my shoulder and smile. "Hey yourself. How are you?"

"I am just great. How about you, my beautiful girlfriend?"

"Wonderful. I'm even better now that you're here."

"Well, I'm glad I could be of some help," and he kissed me on the cheek.

"Alright class, let's find our seats. We have a lot to go over today, and don't let me forget about the quiz we have." We all sit down and groan. We love Beetee, but his quizzes and tests are incredibly hard and he knows it. Peeta wraps his arm around my shoulder, and after that I find it hard to focus. Unfortunately for me, Peeta has to take his arm away from my shoulders in order to take the quiz. _Put it back! Put it back! _I mentally plead, but it doesn't do any good. Sighing, I put as much attention possible on the quiz. Surprisingly, it was one of Beetee's easier ones, which makes the rest of the period better for me.

XXX

After the quiz, chemistry ends in a blink of an eye. Peeta and I get up and intwine our hands together, but Peeta leads me down a different way than we usually go. "Where are we going?"

A smile turns up his lips, "You'll see," he says, and winks at me. I think I know what he wants to do.

We go to a deserted area in the school. He sits down, and motions for me to sit down on his lap. So I do, and then he starts to kiss me. First on my cheek, eventually going to my mouth. We kiss for a long time, probably for about five minutes. That was maybe the best five minutes of my life.

I pull back, "We should probably go to lunch. I'm hungry, Peeta."

"Yeah, me too. But I've been wanting to do that since second period."

I decide to take this as an opportunity to tease him. "Only second period? What were you doing during first?"

"Drawing you. I have art, remember? But in second period, since I couldn't kiss you, I thought about you all period, and decided I wanted to do just that. Well, kiss you, I mean."

I laugh a little. "Okay. May I see the drawing?"

"Absolutely," and Peeta takes out a piece of paper. On it, there's a beautiful girl.

"I thought you said you drew me?" I say, and I'm sort of jealous of the person on the paper.

"I did. It looks exactly like you. You just don't know how beautiful you are."

"It's amazing, Peeta, even though it looks nothing like me."

"You're even more amazing, and yes, it does."

"Whatever," I say, and I kiss him, and that's how we spend half our lunch period.

**Sorry it took so long to update. I know the next chapter after this one is short, but I'm posting two. Enjoy!**


	5. English and Manners

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games or any of the characters that Suzanne Collins so geniusly created. :)**

**Katniss POV**

So Peeta and I get to the cafeteria, and right at our table are Finnick and Annie having a little make-out session. Fortunate for us, Johanna came right behind us and had a scowl of disgust on her face.

"Hey Odair...if you're going to do that with your girlfriend, get a room!"

Finnick pulls back from the kiss, "Sorry guys. Annie and I had a little spat and we were just making up.

Peeta as usual becomes the mediator between two parties. "That's fine. I'm glad you guys aren't mad at each other anymore."

Annie speaks up, "Me too. But I can never stay mad at Finnick for too long." She looks at him with love and admiration, and it's so adorable! They're actually one of the best looking couples at school. Finnick and Annie are juniors, and they've been dating since eighth grade, which makes it even cuter.

"Hey, do you guys have any plans on Friday?" Finnick asks, and he wraps an arm around Annie.

"No. Why do you ask?" I say, and look at Finnick expectantly.

"Well, I am throwing a party, and you guys are all invited. There's some other people coming too, so it'll be a lot of fun."

"I can be there. Peeta, are you coming?"

"I will if you are, my love."

I grin and wrap my arms around him. "Okay, so Peeta and I are coming. What about you, Johanna?"

"Well, I don't have anything else better to do...so yeah, I guess I'll be at Finnick's party."

"Great! I'll see you guys there, then," and right after Finnick says that, the bell rings to end lunch.

XXX

Peeta and I hold hands and walk together, since we both have English. I normally like English, but this year our teacher's crazy. She teaches us English, but she also teaches etiquette and manners, which is stupid. Sometimes she doesn't even teach English, and all she teaches is manners. It's happened so many times we don't even call it English anymore. We call it 'Etiquette'. Our teacher is Miss Trinket, and she has crazy hair every day. We don't even know what her natural hair color is, since she wears a wig every day. It's always a huge relief whenever we have a substitute, because then we don't have to learn stuff we already know.

XXX

With our wonderful good fortune, we have a substitute today! But this substitute made us do the stupid manner lesson, so it was basically the same as having Miss Trinket.

"Hello, class. Miss Trinket is going to be out for the rest of the week, so I will be taking her place. It says on this paper that you are to do the daily manner lesson, and work with your English partners on your plays. Are there any questions?"

One of the boys raised his hand. "Where is Miss Trinket?"

"Miss Trinket is out of town. She had important things to attend to, so she will be gone. Anything else? No? Okay then, get started on your work.

The period went by quickly, and she never even told us her name.


	6. Finn's Secret

**Peeta POV**

The next day after school, Katniss and I made our way down to my car, and we stood there talking. "So Katniss, what did you think of the sub in Etiquette?" I ask her, despite the fact that I already know what the answer is.

"We've had better substitutes. Honestly, I didn't like her that much."

"You don't like hardly anyone, Katniss."

"That's true, but to me she came across as conceited, and I can't stand conceited people."

"Well, Miss Trinket is coming back soon, so then you won't have to see her again."

"I know. You know what? This woman makes Miss Trinket look like a perfect angel."

I laugh, and then open the passenger car door so Katniss could get in the car. "Shall we go?"

She looks at me and smiles, "We shall," and she slides into the seat.

"Where to next?" I say, after I have slid into my own seat.

"Well, I figured we could go to the meadow. Does that sound okay, Peeta? We could do our homework and hang out there."

"That sounds great. I've actually been meaning to go there lately, but just haven't had the time. Good idea, Katniss."

"Thanks, I do have those on occasion. We should go to my house first and pack a picnic. That way we could stay there as long as we like."

"Yeah, we should. We could stop by the bakery, too, and get some stuff."

"Sounds good. Let's go," she says, and she nudges me to start the car, and I comply.

XXXXXXXXX

We do our homework in the meadow, and then we eat the picnic for dinner. There was cheese buns, french bread with some of Prim's goat cheese, and then Katniss made a salad from some of the supplies she gathers from the woods.

"That was quite tasty. Wouldn't you agree, Katniss?"

"It was. I'm glad we came out here, Peeta. It's so relaxing, especially combined with the stress of school." She says, and lays her head down on my shoulder.

"We should probably get going, Katniss. It's getting late, and Prim can't stay home alone forever."

She sighs and gets up. "You're right, Peeta. But we should come back soon. I've missed this place."

"Whatever you say, Katniss," and I pull myself up, and we walk hand in hand back to the car, where I drop her off in relaxed silence.

XXXXX

I get home, and I think about my date with Katniss. I think about her, until my phone rings, and I see I'm getting a call from Finnick.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Peeta. Hey I need to talk to you about something."

"What is it, Finnick?"

"Well, you see, summer vacation is coming up, and I want to change my relationship with Annie, but in a good way. I want to propose to her, Peeta, over the summer."

"Are you sure? High school is sort of a young age for that..." and I'm cut off by an abrupt sharpness in his voice.

"I'm sure. I'm as sure of that as I'm sure I know that two plus two is four. She's the only one for me. How do you recommend I do it? You have a romantic side, could you help me?"

Well this is a first. Finnick is asking _me_ for help with his girlfriend? He must be serious, then. "Well, take her someplace quiet. Some place that's sort of isolated...maybe you could go to the meadow? Katniss and I like that place a lot."

"The meadow? Okay. Thanks, Peeta. I appreciate the help a lot."

"No problem. I hope you guys are happy, and that she says yes."

"Thanks again. See you tomorrow, Peet," he says, and I hang up the phone. This is going to be one secret I don't know if I can keep.

**Sorry for the short chapters. I don't have the chance to write very often, and I'm struggling to keep the plot together. But the main plot will come soon, hopefully. We'll see how this turns out. **


	7. Betrayal

**Katniss POV**

I wake up on Saturday, and the sunlight is streaming into my room. I smile, slide out of bed, and go downstairs. Prim is downstairs making oatmeal-a Saturday morning routine for her. "Morning Prim," I say, and I give her a hug.

"Morning Katniss. How are you?"

"I'm great, how are you, Little Duck?"

"I'm good," she says, and then she dishes out her oatmeal into a bowl, and looks at me. "Do you want some, Katniss?"

"I would. Thanks, Prim."

"Welcome Katniss!" She chirps, and she gets out a second bowl. I love my little sister so much.

After she brings the bowls of oatmeal to the table, we sit and talk about our week.

"What did you guys do at the party last night, Katniss?"

"Well, we mainly just watched movies. Johanna was in a bad mood since the party was 'lame.' It was just me, Peeta, Johanna, Annie, and Finnick. It was really fun," and then my phone rang, and I see it's Peeta.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Katniss. Do you have plans today?"

"No, why?"

"Well, I'm at the meadow, and I was wondering if you would want to come meet me there?"

"Sure, Peeta. Give me a few minutes. I still have to get dressed and finish eating breakfast."

"Okay, I'll be waiting. Love you, Katniss."

"Love you too, Peeta. Bye."  
"Bye Katniss. Love you more," and then he hangs up. I finish eating my oatmeal, then I run up stairs and change and brush my teeth. When I come down stairs, I'm wearing a green skirt, white leggings, a white peasant's blouse, and my brown boots.

"I'm going to the meadow, Prim! Call me if you need any thing, okay?" I call to her.

"Okay, Katniss! Bye!" I walk out the door, and jog to the meadow.

XXXX

Peeta's not in our usual meeting place. My eyebrows knit together, and I start looking for him. Maybe he got bored and decided to go on a walk.

After about five minutes of walking I see him. He's on a picnic blanket...and I see someone else with him...and they're _kissing_. I watch for a bit, and Peeta makes no effort to pull back from the kiss. My bottom lip starts to quiver, and tears start streaming down my face as I stare at them. What makes it worse is that he looks like he's enjoying it. "_PEETA!_" I scream at him, and he turns around quickly, guilt and shock written all over his face.

"Katniss! You're here early." He says, and looks perfectly calm and innocent as he speaks.

I stare at him with disbelief. "Peeta...why were you kissing another girl?" I ask him, and he steps aside and I see who he was kissing. He was kissing a girl named Madge, one of my friends in Panem History. "_Madge?_ You were kissing Madge?"

He hangs his head. "She was my first girl friend, Katniss. She happened to be in the meadow when I was, and well..." and his voice trailed off.  
"Well, what? Peeta, I saw you. I think you enjoyed that too much. I'm sorry...but I think I need a break. Good-bye, Peeta." I ran away after I say that, and go to the woods. After a little bit, I look back. He didn't even follow me.

XXXX

I climb into a tree, and sob into my hands. I can't believe he would do that. I thought he loved me. If he really loved me, he wouldn't have kissed Madge. After I've cried all the tears I can, I go grab my bow and arrows. I find that hunting is a good way to relieve myself when I'm angry or sad. I ended up killing a deer, and as I'm dragging it back, I hear Gale calling for me. "Hey, Catnip!" I turn around, and he's jogging toward me with a smile. When he gets closer, he looks worried. "Catnip, what's wrong?" He asks, and that's enough for me to run into his arms and start crying again. We stay like that for a while, him holding me, and me crying into his chest. When I feel slightly better, I tell him.

"Peeta and I broke up today."

"Why? I thought you two were happy together."

"I did too, but then I saw him kissing his ex-girlfriend Madge."

"He was? Well, he's a jerk then."

"I know...I told him I needed a break, and then I ran away. He didn't even follow me, Gale."

"Well you know what? There's someone out there better than him, waiting for you. I guarantee it."

I give him a small sad smile. "Thanks, Gale. I hope so..."

**So this is where the plot begins! **


	8. What's Wrong With Me?

**Peeta POV  
**

What just happened? Katniss and I aren't together anymore. All because of a huge, stupid mistake. I kissed another girl. I honestly don't know why I did it. I whip out my cell phone and call her. After one ring I'm sent to voicemail. I guess I don't blame her for ignoring me. I do deserve it. I'm dreading going to school on Monday. I just can't face her after what I've done.

I'm considering giving her flowers and adding an 'I'm sorry' note, but that seems so cliche. She might get angry at it, and I don't want to make her even angrier. I need to go to her house. She needs to go to her house eventually.

XXXXXX

I arrive at the Everdeen's house, and sigh. I ring the door bell, and to my good fortune, Prim answers the door. "Hey, Peeta! Where's Katniss?" she says, and I feel guilty that she's treating me so well. She must not know, then.

"I don't know, Prim. May I come in and wait for her?"

"Sure!" She says, and takes my arm, and leads me to the couch to wait. "Do you want something to eat or drink?"

"No, thanks, Prim."

"Okay. I'm going up stairs to do my homework. If you need anything, you know where everything is," and she runs up the stairs, her braids flopping up and down her back.

I wait for about an hour, when Katniss finally comes home. I stiffen. She opens the door, and sees me. After staring for about two seconds, she bolts out the door. I run after her. "Katniss! Wait! I need to talk to you!" She whirls around and faces me.

"I don't want to hear it, Mellark! I don't want to hear anything you have to say. Just leave me alone." I wince. She only calls me 'Mellark' when she's really mad at me.

"Katniss, I'm sorry. I never should have done what I did. I understand if you don't forgive me...but I do regret kissing Madge. I miss you."

"Whatever, Mellark. Stay away from me and my house. I can't believe I ever dated you." She turns around and runs toward Annie's house. I sigh. I really screwed up.

**Katniss POV**

Ugh! Mellark makes me so mad. It seems so unlike him to cheat on me. I'm almost tempted to take him back. But then I remember what he did, and I try to erase such notions from my head. But I guess I should admit:I still love him. I'm running to Annie's house to ask for her advice.

I ring the doorbell when I get to her house, and she answers. "Katniss!" she exclaims, "What's wrong? You look worried."

"Can I talk to you, Annie? It's about me and Peeta."

Her own face becomes worried now. "Of course, come in!" And she ushers me inside. "What's going on between you and Peeta?"

"We broke up. I caught him kissing Madge. But I still love him, Annie. What's wrong with me?"

"I don't know that there is. As far as we know, Peeta's been completely faithful up until this point. Maybe you should take a break for a month or two. Maybe if you still love him and he loves you, you could get back together."

"Maybe..." I say, "Thanks for the advice, Annie. So how are things between you and Finnick?"

"Things between me and Finn are going well. We're actually meeting up tonight. We're going to watch a movie at his house."

"Sounds like fun, Annie. I should probably go. Prim's at home by herself. I should also probably do some thinking."

"Okay, I'll see you later, Katniss. Call me if you need anything."  
I smile, "Thanks Annie. Bye."

"Bye, Katniss."

XXXXXXXX

At school on Monday, all the guys were hitting on me again, except I didn't mind it as much today since I'm single. But it made me miss Peeta, so I just ignored them like I normally do. Gale is in my class, and he comes up to me, and we start to talk.

Gale and I talked every day for the next two weeks. He eventually asked me out. I said yes. Peeta's been ignoring me, and that's when I realized there isn't much hope left for us.

Gale and I hung out at my house, his house, went ice skating, did whatever. Since we've just started dating, we've just held hands. I don't know where our relationship is going yet, but I'll figure it out eventually, I guess. But if I did have to choose between Gale and Peeta...I would choose Peeta. What's wrong with me?

**I hope you enjoy! Sorry I broke Katniss and Peeta up, but I intended it to happen the entire time. **

**Oh, if you could do me a favor and not cuss in the reviews, I would appreciate it! Thanks so much, and I appreciate the support you have all given me! Seeing the reviews make my day. :)**


	9. Too Late

**Peeta POV**

A few weeks after we broke up, I find out that Katniss is dating Gale. Why would she do that? I thought she didn't love him...maybe this is for the best. If she can move on...so can I.

I've been hanging out with Delly lately. She's so bubbly, she makes me forget about Katniss...sometimes. Other times I'm hit with the hard reality that Katniss isn't mine any more. She's with someone else. Maybe Delly is the key to helping me forget my relationship with Katniss...I might just ask her out today.

**Katniss POV**

After about a month of dating Gale, I've reached a decision. I think we should break up. I just don't think it's working out. I hate to break up with him, though. I know he's going to be mad, and I really do hate to make him angry. We've been fighting a lot more than we have in the past, now that we're dating. To preserve our sanity and friendship, I really do think this is for the best. I'll talk to him at lunch.

**Peeta POV**

I'm sitting at a table at lunch with Delly. We're talking like we normally do, and I see Katniss and Gale together. I'm looking at Gale, and he looks confused at one moment, then angry. Eventually he gets up and walks away looking furious. I shrug it off, thinking it may have just been a fight. I hear they've been having a lot of those lately.

I turn my attention back to Delly. I take a deep breath, "Delly, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, Peeta!" and she smiles at me.

"Will you be my girlfriend?"

She looks at me, shocked and speechless. "Um...uh...sure! Sure, Peeta, I would love to be your girlfriend."

"Great. Do you want to hang out on Saturday?"

"Sure," she says, and Katniss walks over to our table.

"Hey Peeta, hey Delly."

Delly speaks for us. "Hey Katniss!"

She gives Delly a small smile. "Do you mind if I sit here?"

"Sure, Katniss! I would love it if you sat here!" Delly says, and she makes room for Katniss. Katniss sits down and looks at me, and she wants to say something, I can tell.

**Katniss POV**

"Peeta, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure, Katniss," he says, and we both stand up and walk outside the cafeteria.

"Peeta...I'm...um...I think I'm still in love with you."

His eyes widen, "But what about Gale?"

"We broke up. It wasn't working."

"Katniss...I can't get back together with you. I'm already with someone."

"Oh...who are you dating?" I say, and I try not to show my disappointment.

"Delly," he says simply, and then he walks back to his table. I stare back at them, and I think _I was too late. _

**I'm sorry this chapter is so short! I hope you enjoy!**


	10. (Happy?) Anniversary

**Katniss POV**

It's been three months since Peeta and I broke up. But to tell the truth, it's felt like three years. When Peeta is busy having fun with _her_, and not looking, I steal small glances at him. I miss him so much. But it still doesn't make sense to me that I would still love someone who cheated on me.

Cato has been extremely helpful and friendly lately, and I think he might like me. Which of course, gets me killer looks from Clove, and every other girl who has an obsession over Cato. I don't feel that way about him, though: for all I care, they can have him.

Peeta has been trying to maintain a friendship between us, while although it's not ideally satisfying, at least I still have some sort of friendly connection with him. It seems like I can never get him alone. Delly is always there whenever we hang out, and it's super annoying. She's being overly protective of Peeta, but she should know I would never try to get Peeta back when they're still together. I may not be the best person ever, but I'm not so evil as to steal someone else's boyfriend. Personally, I think Peeta should dump her, because she's being a...well, my mother told me not to use words like that. How could he possibly be happy with _that_? I'm not sure I know Peeta as well as I thought I did, or maybe he's just not seeing how his...girlfriend is acting. But how could he not?

**Peeta POV**

Today, Delly and I celebrate our two months together as a couple at my house. But she's changed a lot over these past two months. She's been really clingy, and her clothing choices have been the same. I try to ignore it, but when she's constantly hanging around me, it's kind of hard to.

Delly starts kissing me, and after a minute she looks up at me and smiles. "Happy anniversary, babe."

"Happy anniversary, Delly." The truth is, I've been wanting to break up with Delly for about a week, now. But I can't today. I'm not going to be so cruel as to break up with her on our two month anniversary.

She starts kissing me again, only much more passionately than the last time, surprising me. She eventually is on top of me, and I have to push her off of me. "Delly, stop, please."

She starts to use her innocent whiny voice. "But Peet-"  
"No, Delly. _Stop_." I take a deep breath, and do something I never thought I would do today. "Delly, I think it would be the best for both of us if...we broke up. I'm sorry, but I just don't think it's working out." Whoops. Biggest mistake I made that day.

"_WHAT_? Why?! I think it's working out fine. I've just made your life better, and happier. You _can't_ break up with me! I love you, Peeta!"

"Delly, leave, please."

"Fine, but you'll regret breaking up with me, Peeta Mellark!" she closes the door, and I start doubling over in laughter. Instead of yelling my name, it came out more like a squeak. Not very intimidating, if you ask me.

I lay down on the couch, and I think of how much more free I feel. Then it hits me: Katniss. I should go to Katniss. But before I do, I think I should make some cheese buns. She always did have a soft spot for those. I'll take them to her on Christmas, which happens to be in a couple days. I'm shaking with excitement. I only hope she'll take me back.

**Again, I know that this chapter is short. **


	11. Merry Christmas, Everdeens

**Katniss POV**

It's Christmas eve! I love Christmas. There's just something about the stereotypical Christmas that makes you feel safe and peaceful. Prim and I are sitting by the fireplace sipping hot chocolate mother made. "Little Duck, you are going to just love the Christmas present I got you."

"Really? Well, I think you're going to like yours more."

"We'll see, Prim. We'll see." I smile, and sip my warm chocolate beverage some more.

I can't wait for Prim to see what I got her! For my mother, I got a necklace and a matching pair of earrings. I also got her some coffee, since I know how much she loves it. For Prim, I got her a camera, a pale blue dress, and some black flats. Yeah, I like to go all out on Christmas, especially when it comes to getting gifts for Prim. I had gotten Peeta a gift back in August when we were dating, but I still have it. Why? I have no idea. It was a really nice gift, too. It was a sunset orange tie, since that's his favorite color, and a watch with K&P engraved on the bottom of the face of the clock. But I bet he and Delly are probably going to exchange romantic gifts tomorrow...having the ideal Christmas.

"So Prim, you excited for tomorrow?" I ask, and scoot closer to her for more warmth.

"Yeah, are you?"

"Uh-huh. This is going to be the best Christmas, ever."

"Oh, and how do you know that. Katniss?"

"Because I'm going to make the best. Do you doubt my abilities, Little Duck?"

"Nope. I don't doubt them at all."

"Good. Well, we should probably go to bed soon, don't you think?"

"What time is it?"

"10:30. And if I know you, you're going to want to get up at the crack of dawn to open your presents, am I wrong?"

Prim puts on a sheepish grin, "Yeah, you're right. I will. Good night, Katniss."

"Good night, Prim. Love you."

"Love you too, Katniss."

I go upstairs and enter my room. Just because I like the smell and the atmosphere that comes with a lit candle, I light a vanilla candle, and savor the aroma. I put it on my night stand, in front of a picture of me and Peeta that I never got around to taking down. I sigh, and face the frame down. Everything that we had is done. It's history. I fall into a peaceful sleep, dreaming of happy things.

XXXXXXX

I wake up at about 7:30, get dressed, and go downstairs and see Prim has already made use of her presents. She's wearing her dress and shoes, and she has her camera in hand. She runs up to me, and attacks me with a hug. "Thank you, Katniss!"

I have to smile at this, "You're welcome, Little Duck. Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas, Katniss! Now you have to see what I got you!" she grabs my hand and drags me to our Christmas tree. She bends over and gives me a small rectangular package. I open it and see it's a journal. Prim took the liberty of sticking a post-it note onto it, and I read it aloud.

"Look behind the tree for the second half of your gift. There's a second half?"

"Yeah, look!"

I go and look behind the tree, and there's a huge package with my name on it. I lay it down on the ground gently, and unwrap it. It's a huge, hard guitar case. I open it, and gasp. Inside the guitar case is a new, beautiful, acoustic black guitar.

"Prim...oh my goodness! It's beautiful! Thank you, I love it!"

"You're welcome, Katniss."

I pick up the guitar and start strumming a simple, soft, Christmas song. "It even sounds good, too. You're wonderful, Prim."

"I'm glad you like it."

After playing my new guitar for a bit, there's a knocking a door. I put the guitar down, and answer the door. Peeta's there...and surprisingly he's alone. I smile at him shyly. "Hi, Peeta. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, Katniss. Do you mind if I come in?"

"Uh...no, not at all. Come on in."

Peeta comes inside the house, and I see he has a box from his bakery with a bow on it. "I made you some cheese buns. I thought you might like to have some."

"Well...thank you."

"Hey, Katniss, do you mind if I talk to you privately?"

"No, I don't mind," I turn to Prim. "Hey, Little Duck, why don't you go clean your room or something?"

Prim gave me a look, but she went up stairs to busy herself.

"Okay, so...what did you want to speak to me about?"

"Katniss...Delly and I broke up."

My eyes widen. "You're...serious? You and Delly broke up?"

"We did."

"So...why are you telling me?"

"Well...I was hoping you and I could get back together. But I totally understand if you don't want too."

"Peeta...I was wondering if you would ever ask."

"So...you want to get back together?"

"Yes, absolutely."

He opens his arms and I walk into them without hesitation. We stay like that for a while, and I enjoy the warmth and strength of his arms. He eventually pulls back, and he stares at me for a moment. He leans in to kiss me, and under normal circumstances, I would have objected since we just got back together, but it's Christmas...and I do admit, I wasn't thinking. So we had a simple, sweet kiss.

We pull back, and smile at each other. "Merry Christmas, Peeta," I whisper, and pull myself closer so that my head rests on his chest.

"Merry Christmas, Katniss," and he plants a kiss on my head.

"Peeta...I have some gifts for you. I bought them back in August when we were still dating. I'll be right back."

I quickly run upstairs and go to my closet, where I've been storing Peeta's Christmas present. I run back downstairs after I retrieve his gift, and put his gift in his arms. We go to the couch, and he opens them.

Peeta picks up the tie first. "It's beautiful, Katniss," then he sees the watch. "Thank you, Katniss."

"You're welcome. Peeta, look under the watch."

He turns the watch over, and misses seeing the engraving. "What am I supposed to be looking at?"

"Here," and I show him.

"Katniss...I love it. Thank you."

"You're welcome, Peeta," and I smile at him.

He smiles back, and he wraps an arm around me, and pulls me closer. This truly is the best Christmas I've ever had.


End file.
